Iranian President calls for unity among Muslims (Roundup)

Hyderabad, Feb 16 (IANS) With a call for unity among Muslims across the world and the announcement of his readiness to simplify visa procedure for Indians, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday wound up the first leg of his India visit.

In a rare gesture, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is a senior Shia cleric too, visited the historic Makkah Masjid, a Sunni mosque, to offer Friday prayers and called for unity among Muslims across the world.

Addressing the congregation after the prayers, he said unity among Shias, Sunnis and other Islamic denominations was only solution to the problems faced by the Muslim world.

Rouhani urged Muslims to treat all human beings with love and affection in the true spirit of Islam.

On the second day of his three-day visit to India, he joined common worshippers in offering prayers at the 17th century mosque, noting that Friday prayers symbolize the unity among Muslims as they come together to pray.

“If Islam is presented before the world in true sense, then the whole world will love this religion,” he said.

He underlined the need for tolerance and for recognizing all Islamic denominations and respecting them. “They all can be compared to streams which come from a single spring and all these streams eventually into one ocean,” he said.

Alleging that enemies of Islam were creating rift among Muslims, he said the message of Iran was peace and unity.

His visit to the mosque and call for unity is significant as Tehran is locked in a bitter proxy conflict with Saudi Arabia and its allies in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

The Iranian leader said the massacres in schools and university campuses in the US show that materialistic civilization is no guarantee for human welfare and development.

He condemned the travel ban imposed by the US on some Islamic countries by branding Muslims as terrorists. He said Islam is based on kindness and affection.

Earlier, the Iranian delegation led by the President visited Qutub Shahi tombs here. They went around the Qutub Shahi tombs complex, housing mausoleums of rulers of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty (1518-1687) who had Iranian lineage.

Rouhani had addressed Muslim leaders and religious scholars after landing here on Thursday on a three-day visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He addressed a meeting of Iranians settled in Hyderabad on Friday evening before leaving for New Delhi.